Rockets Rumors

Western Notes: Lin, Green, Rockets

February 19th, 2015 at 1:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Numerous NBA sources outside of Jeremy Lin’s camp and the Lakers are skeptical either party would want a reunion, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. Still, Lin isn’t really opening up about his future with anyone and he says that he has declined to discuss his impending free agency even with his family and his agent. More from the Western Conference..

Draymond Green is flattered by talk that connects him to his hometown Pistons, but he told KNBR that he’s focused on winning with the Warriors, Jimmy Durkin of the Mercury News writes.
“I know I am a free agent,” Green told Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. “Everyone knows it. But I can honestly say I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it.” The Warriors standout is averaging 11.1 PPG and 8.3 RPG this season.
The Rockets sent Nick Johnson and Clint Capela to the D-League, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter). This marks Capela’s fifth trip to the D-League and Johnson’s fourth.
Blazers GM Neil Olshey gave up very little in exchange for a player he knows and likes in Arron Afflalo, John Canzano of The Oregonian writes. Portland, he writes, added offensive punch in the second unit with very little sacrificed.

Goran Dragic Rumors: Thursday

February 19th, 2015 at 1:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

The intensity of trade chatter surrounding Goran Dragic picked up Wednesday, when the guard said flatly of Phoenix’s front office, “I don’t trust them anymore.” We’ll use this post to round up the Dragic rumors as today’s 2pm Central time trade deadline approaches, with any additional updates on top:

The Heat are in the lead for Dragic as the Suns continue to talk with multiple teams, and while the Suns continue to send signals they won’t trade him, no other team wants to believe that, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links).

12:30pm update:

The Suns are holding firm to their preference to move Isaiah Thomas rather than Dragic, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (on Twitter). Dragic was designated as the heir apparent to Steve Nash and owner Robert Sarver wants to keep it that way.

9:37am update:

The Heat are offering two first-round picks for Dragic, but Sarver is still resistant to a trade, according to Broussard (Twitter link).

9:16am update:

The Suns want a first-round pick and a “young player with significant potential” or two first-rounders in return if they’re to part with Dragic, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Nik Stauskas and a first-round pick were among the assets the Kings were willing to offer, league sources tell the Yahoo! scribe. The timing of Dragic’s trade request is what’s upsetting Sarver, Wojnarowski hears.

8:57am updates:

The Kings are growing hesitant to make a deal for Dragic, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). There’s “no way” that Dragic will sign a long-term deal with the Kings, Pacers, Rockets, Celtics, or any other team that’s not among his preferred destinations, a source tells Broussard (Twitter link).
Dragic’s trade request has miffed Suns owner Robert Sarver, who’s refusing to go along with it, at least at this point, league executives tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The Knicks are offering a package for Dragic that includes Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jose Calderon, Broussard tweets.
No deal between the Suns and Lakers involving Dragic appears likely, a source tells Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
The ability to offer a fifth year in a new contract this summer, which is the exclusive domain of whichever team holds his Bird rights, won’t have much sway on where Dragic decides to sign, a source tells USA Today’s Sam Amick. Of course, Bird rights also give a team the opportunity offer raises of 7.5% instead of 4.5%.
There’s “nothing of substance” to the reported interest of the Celtics in either Dragic or Reggie Jackson, given the ability of both to hit free agency this summer, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald hears. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge spoke of his hesitancy to “get rid of multiple draft picks for players with uncertainty in the free agent market” in a radio appearance this morning on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, notes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter).

Goran Dragic Rumors: Wednesday

February 18th, 2015 at 11:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

The ultimatum that Goran Dragic‘s agent, Bill Duffy, issued to the Suns late Wednesday when he told them his client wouldn’t re-sign with the team this summer set in motion of flurry of trade rumors surrounding the league’s reigning Most Improved Player. We’ll round up the rest of today’s Dragic news here, with any additional updates added to the top:

The Suns are trying to attach Zoran Dragic to any trade packages involving his brother, Goran, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. The Suns signed Zoran to a two-year contract last summer, largely as a way to make Goran feel more comfortable with re-signing with the organization, Wojnarowski notes.

11:20pm update:

According to a league source, no deal appears likely between the Lakers and Suns for Dragic, Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times reports.

9:18pm update:

Dragic’s concern in regards to being dealt to Boston is that he would be walking into a similar situation as the one he is caught in in Phoenix, a roster with an abundance of guards, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. The Celtics already have Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Evan Turner, and Phil Pressey, all of whom share the ball-handling duties for the team.

8:20pm update:

The Suns’ asking price for Dragic is a young player with significant potential and a first-round draft pick or two first-round picks, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports.

7:24pm update:

Coro’s full piece has more of Dragic’s input. “They give promises, OK. It’s hard. But at the same time, I wish them all the best,” Dragic said of the Suns. “They were great to me the past five years. I’m always going to have a good memory about Phoenix fans and the city. I just hit that point of my career that it’s better for me and my family to move on.”

3:53pm update:

The Suns are still resisting any Dragic deals and remain active in their attempts to trade Thomas instead, a source tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Still, Dragic’s camp has complained to GM Ryan McDonough multiple occasions this season, Deveney hears.

2:01pm update:

Dragic told reporters today that he wants out of Phoenix because his role changed, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter links). “I don’t feel comfortable with the situation,” Dragic said. The guard also called out the Suns front office. “I don’t trust them anymore,” he said.

1:39pm update:

The Knicks and Lakers lack the motivation, as well as the assets, necessary to make a competitive offer for Dragic because they know they have the cap flexibility to sign him in free agency this summer even without his Bird rights, Wojnarowski writes.

12:43pm update:

The Suns are more focused on talking with the Celtics, Rockets, Kings and others than with any of Dragic’s preferred destinations, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

11:47am update:

There’s a decent chance the Suns would attach Miles Plumlee to Dragic in a trade, Stein reports (on Twitter). The Knicks and Lakers reportedly have interest in both Dragic and Plumlee.

10:55am update:

Teams that have spoken with the Suns remain unconvinced the team will trade him, as it appears Phoenix is willing to call Dragic’s bluff and tempt him with the five-year deal that no other team could offer if the Suns keep him through the deadline, reports Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter links).

10:15am update:

The Lakers and Knicks top Dragic’s preferred locations, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Phoenix offered Isaiah Thomas instead to the Lakers last week after the purple-and-gold made a pitch for Dragic, but the Lakers rejected that idea, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com adds to Stein’s story. The Suns this week showed a willingness to talk about a Dragic deal with the Lakers if they removed the top-five protection on the pick L.A. owes Phoenix, but the Lakers turned down that idea, too, Shelburne also reports.
The lack of minutes that the Suns are giving Zoran Dragic is believed to be part of Goran’s frustration with the team, Stein writes in the same piece.

8:34am updates:

The Pacers are conveying the sense that they want to stand pat, and while the prospect of a Dragic trade will be tempting, it’s hard to see Indiana putting together a package that convinces the Suns to trade him there, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). Wojnarowski on Tuesday noted interest from the Pacers and heard that they were a team that Dragic might be willing to commit to.
Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report hears a somewhat different story on the Pacers, whom his sources say are instead looking to move one of their high-salaried veterans to create the cap flexibility necessary to sign Dragic this summer. They’re believed to be willing to trade anyone aside from Paul George to accomplish that, Bucher writes. Bucher suggests that the team would be less willing to trade Roy Hibbert than David West or George Hill.
The Suns want a first-round pick as part of any package for Dragic, sources tell Bucher for the same piece.
Dragic is the No. 1 target of the Rockets, Bucher hears. It’s likely that the Rockets would give up Patrick Beverley in a trade for Dragic, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
Assuming Beverley wouldn’t head out in a trade that brings Dragic to Houston, Beverley’s free agent stock would go down, and Beverley and Dragic are both BDA Sports clients, Wojnarowski notes (Twitter link). Dragic has signaled an unwillingness to make a long-term commitment to the Rockets.

Latest On Kevin Martin

February 18th, 2015 at 9:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

9:24pm: Martin is happy in Minnesota, and out of the teams reported to be eyeing him, Martin would only be interested in playing for Dallas, Amick tweets.

8:29pm: The Rockets and Wizards are also interested in Martin, Sam Amick of USA Today reports (Twitter links). It’s also highly unlikely that the Wolves agree to a buyout with Martin if he remains on the roster past the trade deadline, Amick adds. The Mavs are also a team that likes Martin, Amick confirms.

3:50pm: Teams are still inquiring about Martin, but the feeling is growing that he will remain with the Wolves past the deadline, Chris Mannix of SI.com reports (Twitter link).

2:32pm: The Bulls and Kings among teams with interest in Kevin Martin, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes in his chat with readers, though he adds that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Timberwolves hang on to him. Ford also lists the Wizards as a team eyeing Martin, though there were conflicting reports about their level of interest earlier this month. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports heard that Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders has little interest in parting with Martin, though Ken Berger of CBSSports.com seemingly refuted that and put Martin on a list of players that teams are attempting to trade. Martin would be headed for a buyout if a trade doesn’t happen, according to Berger, but rival executives are surprised at the notion that Minnesota would consider a buyout, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.

The Mavericks are another team that’s been linked to Martin, though it’s unclear if they truly have interest in trading for him. He’s making almost $6.793MM this season and $7.085MM next year, with a player option worth almost $7.738MM for 2016/17, so his contract figures to dissuade teams on the fence about pursuing before the deadline. The same clubs would figure to have greater interest in Martin should he buy his way off the Wolves and become available more cheaply, though that’s just my speculation.

Saunders said after making a pair of trades last week that he didn’t expect to be active again in advance of the deadline. The Wolves haven’t given the impression that they want to part with Martin, according to John Krawczynski of The Associated Press. The 32-year-old shooting guard is Minnesota’s leading scorer this season at 20.2 points per game.

Suns Intend To Trade Goran Dragic

February 18th, 2015 at 7:55am CST by Chuck Myron

WEDNESDAY, 7:55am: The Celtics are jumping into the Dragic sweepstakes, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who indicates that they have an outside shot at this point (All four Twitter links). They have attractive assets and, like the Rockets and Kings, are willing to trade for Dragic without assurances he’d re-sign this summer, Stein adds. Part of the reason all three are on board with doing so is their belief that the chance to offer him a five-year deal this summer instead of one that covers only four seasons is a crucial edge, according to Stein. Only teams with a player’s Bird rights may offer a player a five-year deal, as Stein points out, and any club that trades for Dragic at the deadline inherits his Bird rights.

11:51pm: The Kings want Dragic “bad,” a source told Spears (Twitter link). Sacramento could conceivably deal Jason Thompson and Nik Stauskas to clear enough cap space to make Dragic a max contract offer this summer, the Yahoo! scribe adds.

11:45pm: The Rockets have an interest in acquiring Dragic, but he has privately expressed the fear that Houston would later deal him if he signed with the franchise long-term, Wojnarowski relays.

10:17pm: The Pacers are also a possible destination for Dragic, Wojnarowski reports.

9:50pm: There are a total of seven teams listed that Dragic would prefer to play for, Amick tweets.

9:34pm: Dragic’s preferred teams also include the Knicks and the Heat, Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link).

9:30pm: The Rockets, despite their interest in Dragic, are not one of the teams likely to secure a long-term commitment from the guard, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.

9:26pm: Dragic’s agent Bill Duffy provided the Suns with a list of teams that Dragic would prefer to be traded to, which included the Lakers, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports adds.

9:21pm: When asked if there was any scenario in which Dragic would stay in Phoenix, a source close to him told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), “Don’t think so.”

9:17pm: The Suns have informed Dragic that the team will accept his request for a trade and will work to move him before the deadline, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). Dragic’s agent had informed the team that his client would not re-sign with the Suns this summer, Sam Amick of USA Today reports.

2:03pm: Dragic’s discontent with the crowded Phoenix backcourt is growing, and several league sources tell Wojnarowski they believe that the Suns have to move Thomas before July to have a chance at re-signing Dragic. Still, there’s a “strong belief” that Dragic will re-sign with Phoenix if he once more finds the comfort he used to have there, Wojnarowski writes, citing Dragic’s strong relationship with coach Jeff Hornacek and GM Ryan McDonough as well as his enjoyment of playing with his brother, Zoran. It’s not out of the realm of possibility the Suns will trade Dragic before Thursday’s deadline, but it’s extremely unlikely, according to Wojnarowski.

TUESDAY, 11:20am: An opposing team would have to give up a young player with All-Star potential and a draft pick for the Suns to even consider trading Dragic, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter links). It’s far more likely the Suns would deal Thomas or Gerald Green, Wojnarowski hears. Phoenix is making Green available, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders wrote earlier this morning when he identified the Knicks as a team with interest in Dragic.

3:37pm: Dragic’s agent has plans to meet with the Suns on Tuesday, but Phoenix remains determined to re-sign the guard this summer, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

2:52pm: The “sense” is that the Suns are ready to deal Dragic rather than see him walk in free agency this year, Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck tweets.

MONDAY, 1:18pm: Phoenix is inclined to keep Dragic, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports writes in his weekly power rankings column.

SATURDAY, 7:50am: The Suns are more apt to try and trade Isaiah Thomas than to deal Dragic prior to the deadline to restore their roster balance, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).

1:49pm: The latest version of Stein’s story backs off the assertion that the Lakers plan a max offer to Dragic, saying only that the team intends to propose a four-year deal that would be worth as much as $80MM if it approaches max territory. In any case, Stein also passes along comments Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby made to Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic indicating that Phoenix will be proactive at the trade deadline.

“I would take the fifth, generally, on any of these specific trade rumors,” Babby said. “What I would say is I expect us to be active. And what I mean by that is we’re not going to just sit here and wait for the phone to ring. We’ll be initiating calls to every team, and taking the temperature of what’s out there and what’s available. And it wouldn’t surprise me at all if we do something between now and next Thursday.”

FRIDAY, 11:08am: The Heat are the latest team rumored to have interest in Goran Dragic, but the Rockets and Lakers, who’ve been eyeing him for months, appear poised to take another go at him before Thursday’s trade deadline, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Houston hopes to talk seriously with Phoenix about a deal in the coming days, sources tell Stein, while the Lakers presumably would like the same as they plan a max offer for him in free agency this summer, Stein also hears. Phoenix has been turning away suitors for Dragic of late, but sources tell Stein that the Suns have been trying to get a read all season on whether the reigning Most Improved Player will re-sign when them this summer. Dragic plans to turn down a $7.5MM player option for next season and hasn’t ruled out leaving Phoenix.

The 28-year-old acknowledged this month that he’s felt frustration with Phoenix’s crowded backcourt, according to Stein. His numbers, including minutes and shot attempts, are down this season after a career year in 2013/14. GM Ryan McDonough acknowledged fault this week for overloading the team’s backcourt, which also includes Eric Bledsoe and Thomas, both of whom the Suns signed to long-term deals this summer, and 2014 first-round pick Tyler Ennis.

Rockets GM Daryl Morey and company would still like to make another significant addition this season after adding Corey Brewer and Josh Smith, Stein writes. Dragic, whom the Rockets have already tried to trade for this season, as Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today wrote last month, would be the biggest boost of the season for Houston, which is without Dwight Howard for at least another three weeks. The Rockets no longer have a trade exception of $1MM or more to use, but they have a better store of trade chips than the Lakers do, as I wrote when I examined Dragic’s trade candidacy.

The Suns are reportedly seeking a first-round pick in return for Dragic. They already have the Lakers’ first-rounder this year unless it falls within the top five selections. The Rockets will send the Lakers their first-round pick if they make the playoffs this year, but Houston has a protected first-rounder coming from the Pelicans.

Lowe’s Latest: Warriors, Garnett, Magic, Pelicans

February 16th, 2015 at 11:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Projections from the league and individual teams show the salary cap going from about $68MM next season to around $90MM for 2016/17 without any sort of plan for tiered increases, Grantland’s Zach Lowe reports. The players union rejected the league’s proposal to smooth out the projected spike in the cap, and while executive director Michele Roberts left open the possibility that the union would counter with a proposal of its own, compromise seems unlikely, according to Lowe. That’s left teams that aren’t usually attractive to free agents with the feeling that their cap flexibility is less valuable than it ever has been, Lowe hears, since just about every team will be in line to sign a max-level free agent or two after next season.

We’ve already passed along Lowe’s news about exploratory Ty Lawson talks between the Nuggets and the latest on the Raptors and Terrence Ross, but Lowe’s must-read column has more, and we’ll hit the rest of the highlights here:

Lowe suggests the Warriors would like to try to convince Kevin Garnett to waive his no-trade clause and that they’ll see if any money-saving deals for David Lee are available.
The Nets don’t want to make a trade just for the sake of making one, and if they do swing a deal, they’ll seek “some token future assets” and cap flexibility for the summer of 2016, Lowe writes.
Lowe names Maurice Harkless and Andrew Nicholson as examples of “little side pieces” the Magic will seek to trade. The Magic are open to trading Nicholson, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported last week. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders heard last month that teams had been calling about Harkless but that Orlando’s asking price was high.
The Pelicans would like an upgrade at small forward, but they won’t part with Ryan Anderson cheaply just to accomplish that goal, Lowe writes.
Corey Brewer declined his $4.905MM player option for next season to help facilitate the trade that sent him to the Rockets, according to Lowe. Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders also shows the option as having been declined on his Rockets salary page.

Eastern Notes: James, Millsap, Allen

February 13th, 2015 at 9:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Cavs superstar LeBron James has been elected as the vice president of the NBPA, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter links). Chris Paul, the NBPA president, has been pushing for James to join him as the No. 2 man in the player’s union for some time now, Wojnarowski adds. The announcement of James’ election was soon overshadowed by the reports that the NBPA had voted to reject the league’s salary cap smoothing proposal for 2016. This news sets the stage for a potential lockout in 2017, when both the league and the union can opt out of the current CBA, though that is merely my speculation.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Paul Millsap said that the support he has received from Hawks fans and the community in Atlanta would not factor into his decision-making when he becomes a free agent this summer, Nick Powell of NJ.com relays. “It’s a good thing, but I’m not one to base my decision off emotions,” Millsap said. “I base my decisions off of everything else. Where our team is at, can I grow with this team, how’s the coach, how’s the community? There’s a lot of things that factor into it besides emotions.” When asked his feelings about potentially playing in New York, Millsap said, “It’s a good place. I consider myself a guy who could fit in anywhere.“
When Patrick Beverley was asked about potentially joining the Knicks as a free agent this summer, he stated that his first desire was to remain in Houston, Powell adds. “That’s not up to me, that’s up to my agent and stuff like that,” Beverley said. “I’m extremely happy with Houston, that’s one of the teams that kind of took a chance on me for me getting to the NBA, but at the end of the day this is a business, and I’ll let my agent handle that.” Beverly will become a restricted free agent at season’s end.
Though the Heat were indeed in contact with free agent Ray Allen last summer, the team never made a contract offer to the veteran guard, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes.

And-Ones: Buyouts, Dragic, Stauskas, Magic

February 12th, 2015 at 10:53am CST by Chuck Myron

Andrea Bargnani, Brandon Bass, Marcus Thornton, Andrei Kirilenko, Willie Green, Randy Foye and Darrell Arthur are all likely buyout candidates if they’re not traded before the deadline, league sources tell Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck. Beck also mentions Tayshaun Prince, who’ll probably strike a buyout deal with the Celtics if he’s not traded, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald reported last month. The Bleacher Report scribe also reiterates that Kevin Garnett isn’t seeking a buyout, seconding an earlier report from Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com. Here’s more from around the NBA:

The Suns want a first-round pick if they’re to give up Goran Dragic in a trade, as Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times hears (Twitter link). Woelfel suggests that opposing teams will be willing to pay that price and believes the Rockets, who’ve reportedly tried to trade for Dragic this season, will consider going after him again.
There are rumors connecting the Bucks to Kings rookie Nik Stauskas, according to Woelfel (Twitter link). Still, it’s unclear if there’s truly interest from Milwaukee’s end.
James Borrego says the Magic haven’t told him whether or not he’ll be the head coach for the rest of the season, and he takes it as a signal that he’ll remain in place, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. The timing of the situation and the Magic’s track record don’t suggest they’ll make a move before season’s end, though “it’s widely believed” the team will eventually replace Borrego with a proven coaching veteran, Schmitz writes. Rumored coaching candidate Scott Skiles indeed has interest in the job, but the Magic’s players seem to be supporting Borrego, Schmitz adds.
Blazers GM Neil Olshey is exploring possible trades to help shore up the team’s depth, The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman writes, noting that Thomas Robinson and Will Barton seem unsure if they’ll remain on the team past the deadline. Olshey declared earlier this week that he wouldn’t trade any of the team’s starters and also talked up the value of his bench players in an interview during a game broadcast, as Mike Richman of The Oregonian transcribes.
Former Mavs guard Dominique Jones is drawing renewed NBA interest following an impressive showing in China, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Jones, who last played in the league in 2012/13, averaged an eye-popping 36.8 points per game over 41 appearances in China this season.

Rockets Likely To Pursue Jeremy Lin

February 11th, 2015 at 4:06pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With Jeremy Lin set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, the 26-year-old could potentially return to Houston, the franchise with which he inked his last free agent contract, Howard Beck of Bleacher Report writes. Despite having essentially given Lin away to the Lakers this past summer in a trade, the Rockets remain high on Lin and are expected to be among his chief suitors this offseason, Beck notes. The Rockets would be unable to reacquire Lin via a trade this season since he was dealt away less than a year ago by the team.

Houston traded Lin along with its 2015 first and second round draft picks for the rights to Sergei Lishchuk last July. Lin was dealt due to Rockets GM Daryl Morey desperately trying to clear enough cap space to ink Chris Bosh, who was reportedly close to signing a free agent deal with the team. The franchise had also dealt away Omer Asik to the Pelicans for the same reason, but it did manage to net Trevor Ariza in that particular transaction. But Bosh ended up spurning the Rockets to return to Miami, signing a five-year, $118,705,300 contract with the Heat.

The point guard has had a difficult time living up to the hype of “Linsanity,” a brief but notable stretch of games with the Knicks during the 2011/12 campaign that had made him a national sensation. Lin’s time in New York came to an end when the Knicks declined to match the three-year, $25MM offer sheet that Houston signed him to back in 2012, a contract that Knicks star Carmelo Anthony referred to at the time as “ridiculous,” Beck notes.

Lin’s production during his two seasons in Houston was solid, but unspectacular. He averaged 13.4 points during the 2012/13 season, and then notched 12.5 points per game last season. The dip in his numbers was also due to the Rockets’ acquisition of James Harden from the Thunder, and Lin soon found himself coming off of the bench for the bulk of the season, a role that Lin wasn’t necessarily suited to.

“It’s just been a growing experience, more than anything,” Lin told Beck. “Never would I have thought that my career has gone in the trajectory that it’s gone in. When I was younger, it seemed like every year I would get better. It seemed like I would put the work in and then I would see those improvements. And for whatever reason, I felt like, well, I know I put the work in, and I felt like I was getting better. But it didn’t always amount to the results I wanted to see. So that’s definitely frustrating, to see that happen three straight years.”

Things may have turned out differently for Lin had the Lakers retained coach Mike D’Antoni, who resigned before Lin was acquired. Lin had thrived under D’Antoni in New York, but hasn’t had an easy time adapting to coach Byron Scott‘s system in Los Angeles, Beck notes. The Bleacher Report scribe also believes that Lin could still flourish in the league if he were able to play for a more supportive coach and perhaps a system more attuned to his skills.

Lin is averaging 10.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 25.5 minutes per game in 51 appearances this season. His career averages are 11.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. Lin’s career slash line is .440/.348/.796.

Western Notes: Malone, Howard, Clippers

February 9th, 2015 at 3:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Former Kings coach Michael Malone made a second visit to Minnesota to speak with Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor after Flip Saunders invited Malone to observe the team for a while last month, as TNT’s David Aldridge reports amid his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Aldridge speculates that Saunders, serving in a dual role as coach and president of basketball operations, is eyeing Malone as a potential replacement as coach for whenever Saunders decides to concentrate on his executive role. Malone is also a rumored candidate for the Magic’s head coaching job. Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Dwight Howard says he was given a timetable of six to eight weeks for recovery from the right knee swelling that’s kept him out of action since January 23rd, according to Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle. The Rockets announced this past Wednesday that he’d miss at least a month, though team doctor Walt Lowe says there isn’t a specific time frame for his return, other than that he’ll be back this season, Creech writes.
The Clippers are unlikely to make a 10-day signing before the All-Star break, as Dan Woike of the Orange County Register hears (Twitter link). The team has reportedly spoken with Sebastian Telfair about a potential deal.
The Rockets have recalled rookies Clint Capela and Nick Johnson from the D-League, the team announced (on Twitter). It was assignment No. 4 for Capela and the third D-League stint for Johnson, as our assignments/recalls log shows. Johnson is averaging 10.7 minutes per game in 17 NBA appearances, while Capela has seen only 18 total minutes with the big club.
Al-Farouq Aminu has given the Mavericks the best dollar-for-dollar production of any player on the roster, opines Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com, arguing that the minimum-salary signee has excelled doing many of the same duties Shawn Marion did last year.

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